The beginning

So my wife and I decided to do the Body for Life program.  This is a 12 week training and nutrition program.  The very general idea is that you take 12 weeks and try to be as efficient as possible with eating right and exercising.  You can learn more at http://bodyforlife.com for specifics.  We purchased the book (used) for $4 on Amazon.  It's written by Bill Phillips who designed the program.  I'll try to explain the recommended plan by the creator of this program.

The Workouts

The training part of the program includes alternating strength training days with aerobic exercise days.  On the strength training days you are alternating upper body and lower body.  So Day 1 was upper body strength training.  You pick a strength training exercise for each muscle group (chest, shoulders, triceps, back, and biceps).  With each exercise you have different intensities and reps (number of times to perform the exercise).  For the intensities you have to rate them a scale of 1 to 10.  1 is basically doing nothing.  10 is giving everything you've got.

Here's the plan for each exercise:
12 reps - intensity 5 (easy, just getting blood flowing and muscles moving)
1 minute rest
10 reps - intensity 6 (still warming up but a little harder)
1 minute rest
8 reps - intensity 7 (not too easy, not too hard)
1 minute rest
6 reps - intensity 8 (this should be hard)
1 minute rest
12 reps - intensity 9 (this is very hard)
no rest
12 reps of a different exercise for same muscle group - intensity 10 (a 10 is very hard to achieve because it requires you to go beyond what you think you are capable of doing)

So do the above for each muscle group with 2 minute breaks between exercises

For aerobic days it is a 20 minute workout using the intensity scale.  You can do any aerobic activity such as biking, running, swimming, etc.  I'll likely be doing mostly running.  We did pick up a stationary bike for $20 at a yard sale so we have no excuses if for some reason we can't get out of the house or the weather is bad.
The intensities change every minute during the workout here's the list of intensities per minute
5 5 6 7 8 9 6 7 8 9 6 7 8 9 6 7 8 9 10 5

The Nutrition Plan


The best part about this program is how simple the nutrition plan is.  No calorie counting.  Just portions.  A portion is considered the size of your fist.  Mr. Phillips has you eat 6 meals a day that all contain a protein food and a carbohydrate food.  For at least two meals he wants you to have a vegetable.   Some other things are avoiding fatty foods, inc, drink 10 cups of water a day, and eat a tablespoon of unsaturated oil daily (found in foods like salmon).

Rest Day


The program allows for one free day a week.  This day you don't exercise to give your body a break.  The other thing is you can eat whatever you want.  So any sweets or fatty foods you've been craving you can have on this day.

Conclusion
So there's the basics of the program.  I will do my best to include useful information on this blog such as our goals, plans to win the competition, why we are doing this, photos, and any requests and questions from you guys.